White Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Phew! Glad that Thanksgiving is over with! It is so fun to make a big meal like that but man can it be a lot of work! It helped to prep what I could the day before but I’m so picky about food and prefer it all as fresh as can be so Thanksgiving day gets crazy around here! But now on to all the holiday baking!

During the holidays I love to make peppermint everything so I decided to come up with a festive peppermint version of a chewy sugar cookie (last year I did soft peppermint sugar cookies so I wanted to try chewy this year). What would make a cookie more festive then dipping it in white chocolate and covering it with peppermint candy? This is like the ultimate Christmas cookie, oh and these White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies – I absolutely love both and they should each definitely find a place on your holiday cookie tray! Everyone loved these and I’m sure I’ll make them again and again! And just fyi you could also use vanilla almond bark or real white chocolate for these too.

Break out your mixer and getting baking because it’s that time of year, and what better place to start than with these irresistible White Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Sugar Cookies??

Instructions

For the cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar for 20 seconds, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together sugar and butter until combined. Mix in egg then mix in egg yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract. With mixer set on low speed slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined (dough with will thick, so stop mixer and mix by hand to get flour at bottom if needed).

Scoop dough out 1 1/2 Tbsp (about 33g) at a time and shape into balls. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner, spacing cookies 2-inches apart (chill dough balls that aren't currently baking in refrigerator on plates). Bake in preheated oven 10 - 11 minutes (cookies should appear slightly under-baked). Remove from oven and allow to rest several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the coating:

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a medium microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave on 50% power in 20 second intervals, stirring well between intervals until melted and smooth. Dip half of cooled cookies in white chocolate allowing excess to run off (or slide bottom slightly along edge of bowl) then transfer to wax paper and immediately sprinkle with peppermint bits. Allow to set at room temperature or in refrigerator. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Medeja: Oh they look so great! Perfectly decorated for Christmas :D November 28, 2015 at 6:22amReply

Laura Dembowski: I would devour these cookies! Sugar cookies are always a hit and white chocolate and peppermint just make them better. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, Jaclyn! November 28, 2015 at 6:33amReply

Dena: How do you get your cookies to come out to be the perfect disk? Mine usually end up poofed when they’re done November 28, 2015 at 1:18pmReply

Jaclyn: It can depend on a number of factors like where you live – elevation, humidity etc., how you’re measuring the flour, whether the recipe includes baking powder or baking soda. My best guess would be to use a little less flour or a little more butter so they spread more. November 28, 2015 at 11:49pmReply

Coralee: Mine are poofy too so I just coated the whole Cookie in Chocolate and peppermint. They look better than they taste in my opinion but others like them. How do I add a photo? December 20, 2017 at 12:05pmReply

Victoria: I’d love to make these for a December event I have in mind and I, too, would like to know how many cookies this recipe makes. Thanks. November 29, 2015 at 10:49amReply

Michelle @ Modern Acupuncture: These are so pretty! Definitely giving them a try. I love sugar cookies but they can get a little boring… dipping in chocolate and covering in peppermint is sure to perk them up! :) And you take such beautiful photos, as ever… November 30, 2015 at 1:52pmReply

Jaclyn: Thanks so much for the compliment Michelle! I hope you love these cookies! November 30, 2015 at 8:05pmReply

Victoria: I made these cookies yesterday and the recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies, using a well-packed 1 1/2 tbsp. scoop.

These cookies are excellent – over the top, but great. The sugar cookie can easily stand alone with or without the peppermint extract. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a good sugar cookie and this one does it for me.

This recipe also lends itself to some variation. You could leave out the peppermint extract. You could replace it with almond extract and then use milk chocolate chips and sprinkle the cookies with chopped almonds.

When I made this recipe, I did so as a practice run for a cookie exchange and discovered that there is enough left over white chocolate (and crushed peppermint) to cover most of a second batch of cookies.

Finally, I really appreciate the measurements in grams. I have an Oxo kitchen scale (that measures in grams or ounces) and this takes a lot of work and subtle variation out of a recipe.

sarah: I’ve made these and they are AMAZING! I’m trying to make some for a baby shower – can you make these without the peppermint extract? Will they still turn out (just not pepperminty?) April 20, 2016 at 11:54amReply

Jaclyn: Yes you could definitely omit the peppermint extract. I’m so glad you tried them and enjoyed them Sarah! April 25, 2016 at 12:21amReply

Madeleine: How many does one batch make?? November 7, 2016 at 2:42pmReply

Maria: Hi there, just wondering how you think these would hold up in the freezer for a few weeks? would love to make ahead of time to put into some christmas gift bags this year :) November 22, 2016 at 3:01pmReply

Jaclyn: I haven’t tried so I can’t say for sure, but I imagine they’d hold up okay. November 24, 2016 at 7:02pmReply

Jenny: Can you substitute coconut oil for the shortening? December 1, 2016 at 7:05pmReply

Sarah Jeon: How long do these cookies last? Will they stay fresh within 3 days? December 3, 2016 at 12:39pmReply

Jaclyn: Yes they should be good for 3 days. December 4, 2016 at 12:15amReply

Samantha: How many cookies does this make? December 7, 2016 at 10:56amReply

Amanda Steele: OK this is a silly question, but you don’t flatten the cookies before baking right? Just place balls in the oven and they will flatten out themselves correct December 8, 2016 at 12:52pmReply

Jaclyn: Yes correct. I hope you love them! December 9, 2016 at 12:04amReply

Carri: I cannot get these cookies to bake correctly. They don’t spread out into a nice cookie. I added extra butter &’they spread out but don’t crinkle on top. Any suggestions? December 9, 2016 at 12:11pmReply

Tanya: It looks like a lot of people have this problem, myself included. Such a shame that they don’t spread like in the picture :( November 25, 2017 at 11:34amReply

Caroline: I followed this recipe and I only have one word to describe how they turned out:
Fantastic.

Thank you very much to the author of this recipe. My family and I will be sure to continue to enjoy this recipe not only during the holiday season.

Jaclyn: I’m so glad your family enjoyed these Caroline! Thanks for your comment! December 14, 2016 at 12:57pmReply

Cindy Littl: Everyone out there use a small ice cream scoop and every single one was a perfect shape! December 14, 2016 at 6:44pmReply

Ana: These sugar cookies are a dream! They are the perfect chewy sugar cookie. I substituted the flour for an all purpose gluten free flour blend and they turned out perfect! Thank you for the recipe. December 14, 2016 at 7:44pmReply

Jaclyn: Thanks for the great review Ana! January 3, 2017 at 11:46amReply

Alyssa: I noticed you said 1 cup of butter and put 8oz in parentheses. A cup of butter I believe is 2 sticks…is it 1 stick or 2? Thanks! December 14, 2016 at 8:47pmReply

Caroline: This sugar cookie dough is WONDERFUL. Great recipe December 15, 2016 at 5:45pmReply

Rinnah Riggin: I’m not sure what happened, but after mixing the dough together it became extremely dry and crumbly. I reread over the recipe and I know I followed it 100%. Any idea why this would happen? December 17, 2016 at 10:43amReply

Jaclyn: It may just be that the flour was over-measured. Or maybe a stick of butter was left in the mircrowave to soften – lol I did that once :). If you try again try adding less flour. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you! December 17, 2016 at 4:14pmReply

Holly S.: Fabulously delicious! I didn’t have any cream of tartar so I used 2 teaspoons of white vinegar instead. The only thing wrong with them is my daughter keeps swiping them before I can get them dipped and boxed up to mail! December 18, 2016 at 5:34pmReply

Holly S.: Also… if you have leftover white chocolate, find some good quality peanut butter doggie biscuits and dip one end, then add sprinkles. WHITE chocolate ONLY! Regular chocolate contains theobromine, which is poisonous to dogs. My dogs and their friends all love dipped doggie cookies! December 18, 2016 at 6:12pmReply

Amy: Made them today for a holiday cookie party. They were delicious and very festive looking. I did have to cook them 13 minutes. The first batch at 11 minutes were very under cooked.

Each batch made about 3 dozen cookies.

Also a good cookie for little helpers. Mine did the dipping and sprinkles with very little mess afterwards December 18, 2016 at 7:03pmReply

Fay: Very interested in making these cookies but don’t have a stand-up mixer or a microwave. Is it possible to make these with a hand-held electric mixer without a microwave? December 19, 2016 at 10:28amReply

Heather Cote: I used a hand held mixer with mine and the dough came out fine. I also didn’t use a microwave- I heated the white chocolate melting chips in my double boiler on the stove. I find it melts better that way than in the microwave anyways! :) December 18, 2017 at 6:06pmReply

kathy m: I made these cookies and they turned out EXACTLY like the photo which is a first for me! :) They tasted amazing… best cookies I’ve ever made. Everyone asked for the recipe. Thanks! December 19, 2016 at 2:30pmReply

Jaclyn: I’m so glad you liked them Kathy! December 20, 2016 at 2:43pmReply

Linda: Can you replace the cream of tartar with cornstarch. December 20, 2016 at 8:01pmReply

Lindy: Hey, love your cooking skills, just asking if you can replace the cream of tartar with cornstarch. December 21, 2016 at 6:43pmReply

Angela: These are delicious…and a little addicting! My hubby loves them too.
I used DoTerra peppermint oil instead of peppermint extract and they turned out perfectly. These will definitely be a staple on my Christmas baking menu :)

Gina: Can I put them right on the cookie sheet without any parchment paper or silicone? December 22, 2016 at 1:30pmReply

Tara: Do you chill dough before rolling into balls? I think I made mine too big and they ended up spreading out really thin. Not sure exactly what I did wrong? December 22, 2016 at 3:00pmReply

Shelisah Piggee: Wow! What a great recipe! Thank you so much for sharing! They’re so so tasty! December 23, 2016 at 4:02pmReply

Audrey: Could you please suggest what kind of white chocolate you’ve found that is safe for peanut allergies? I haven’t been able to find one that isn’t processed in a facility with peanuts… December 29, 2016 at 11:02amReply

Kathy M: I have made these cookies and shared them with a friend who has a deadly nut allergy- I used toll house white chocolate chips. She said that this brand specificially only says this for liability and isn’t a big concern. I can’t speak for any other brands though. December 29, 2016 at 10:26pmReply

Michelle: These. Were. Amazing! A bit hit and the best compliments came from my husband. January 9, 2017 at 9:45amReply

Deb: Ok – followed the recipe exactly and got little round balls. No nice perfectly round discs with crinkles on top. Flattened – just finger pressed second batch into oven – still not pretty.

Made second batch of dough – sugared and flattened with glass – better but too much dough and didn’t get nearly thirty cookies. 4th time – Used very scant 11/2 TBS scoop, sugared, flattened – better yet but still not like in picture. Instructions are clearly lacking. March 10, 2017 at 10:58amReply

Jen: These cookies look fantastic! (As do all your other recipes) If you had to choose *to only bake 1 version at Christmas*, which peppermint cookie would you choose?

Audra Swanson: Would love to add these to my list of treats! Does anybody know if i make them a few weeks in advance if they freeze okay? I would have time to dip them later…just not bake 9 batches! November 7, 2017 at 12:01pmReply

Bobbi: Can you make this without eggs??? What would be a sub? Apple sauce , flex seed November 17, 2017 at 8:56pmReply

Ellen Seelman: is the butter 1 cup or 8oz? 8oz’s is half cup. November 18, 2017 at 2:30pmReply

Kari: Are these cookies hard or chewey? November 22, 2017 at 10:41amReply

Suzi: Usually I like recipes from this site but this one missed the mark. It was disappointing from the beginning. I’m a lazy cookie maker and like to scoop and plop the dough but the dough was so crumbly I had to form the balls by hand, then they stayed together just fine. Not a deal breaker but something I don’t like. Then my cookies turned out super weird. Some flattened thin and others were poofy and then there some that were flat and poofy. My dough was mixed well so I’m pretty sure it was all incorporated. Then I tasted the cookies prior to dipping. They were okay but I was expecting to taste more peppermint. I thought, “once I get the chocolate and peppermint on them I’ll change my mind. I think they tasted worse. Granted I’m not a huge white chocolate fan but I stopped dipping my cookies about halfway through because at least I can pawn the plain ones off on my toddler. November 29, 2017 at 11:13amReply

Jen: Christmas/Christmas Eve are on Sun/Mon this year so how far in advance can these cookies be made?

Michelle Cameron: Made these tonight for an upcoming Christmas party. I forgot to get crushed candy cane at the store so had to improvise. Not as pretty but absolutely delicious!!! November 30, 2017 at 9:24pmReply

Amy: This is THE BEST a recipe ever! It’s fairly simple, it takes some time to make, but they are delish and look awesome! Thanks for sharing! December 5, 2017 at 1:14pmReply

Cathy Henessee: A batch came out beautifully round and love the taste. Put in airtight pan and next day were really hard???? I baked exactly 11 minutes. Any ideas for softer? December 11, 2017 at 4:18pmReply

Nicole: These are delicious! The hint of peppermint is a perfect little perk to your basic sugar cookie. So addicting! I’m currently waiting to dip mine in the chocolate hoping to not make a huge mess. Hopefully letting them dry on parchment paper goes smoothly. So far, delicious even just on their own. Thanks for the recipe! December 16, 2017 at 2:55pmReply

Robin: I made these before when I had a full day to bake and they were great! Can I make the dough a day ahead of time and stick it in the fridge? I’m hoping to make these after work tomorrow, but may run out of time. Thanks in advance! December 19, 2017 at 3:54pmReply

Kim: I was wondering if I could substitute peppermint essential oil (maybe a drop) and Almond Bark instead of White chocolate? The stores I visited today didn’t have what I needed. December 20, 2017 at 3:50pmReply

Megan: These were amazing. Super easy recipe to follow, too! Thanks for the delicious and fun holiday treat :) December 20, 2017 at 9:54pmReply

Jaclyn: You’re welcome! Thanks for leaving a review! December 21, 2017 at 3:17pmReply

Beth: These came out fabulous! Thanks for the recipe! December 21, 2017 at 3:08pmReply

Jaclyn: You’re welcome! Thanks for the positive feedback! December 21, 2017 at 3:42pmReply

Melissa: I attempted to.make these as part of my christmas baking, and they were a disaster. Spread super thin and into each other even.though they were chilled for several hours and placed far enough apart on the cookie sheet. I am not new to baking and followed the directions exactly, used all.new fresh ingredients, dont live at a high altitudes or anything that would effect anything, and No changes to recipe were made. Almost seems as if there is too.much butter, not enough flour. They were kinda greasy. The flavor was good, but had to toss them since I couldnt include them the cookie trays. December 24, 2017 at 2:22amReply

Stephanie: I made these last year for Christmas. They were an absolute hit. I will be making them today. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!! December 24, 2017 at 7:03amReply

Lezlie: I made this exactly as instructed except I used a double boiler to melt the chocolate, and they were wonderful. I called them unshareable because the people I gifted them to share with their families all chose to eat them all themselves instead! January 5, 2018 at 3:20pmReply

Welcome

Hello and thank you for stopping by Cooking Classy™! Here you will find a collection of delicious recipes all tested and approved by me, Jaclyn, creator of this food blog. Cooking is my passion so please follow along and share what I create!